Curious about facial massage? This is a guest post from our friend Lauryn, who runs The Skinny Confidential, a lifestyle site we love. Here, Lauryn tells us about the importance of giving yourself facial massages, and how she discovered the best tools to give herself face massages.

So, you want a free at-home way to prevent wrinkles? Something where you can wake up and go? A treatment that’s easy, free, and effective? Then it’s time for you to get on board with facial massage.

I first discovered facial massage after I had gnarly corrective jaw surgery. The procedure was bleak to say the least. I was swollen for like two-ish years. NO JOKE. Literally, my face was swollen for years. It led me on a quest to find anything and everything that would reduce swelling. As much as I hated the entire thing, I learned so much at the same time. #WORTHIT, you know?

Anyway, after lots of experimentation, one of my favorite methods I found is facial massage. SERIOUSLY I WANT TO SCREAM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.

My face literally craves it once I wake up. It’s so weird but so necessary. Now my face legit craves circulation through facial massage.

Skeptical still? Well, let me break it down. You always need some sort of muscle stimulation through massage. It brings more oxygen to the area which increases blood flow and thus collagen production. In turn, you’re left with a natural and healthy glow. Try it for five minutes tomorrow and you will see!

How do you do a facial massage?

There are TONS of different methods but I usually keep it pretty basic and start with just massaging the skin upwards. You can see a whole video breakdown in the video below:

You could use a variety of tools…

SerumStart with a serum! Starting with a clean face, apply your favorite serum and moisturizer.

Choose a serum that suits your skin concerns. I love this vitamin c serum because in addition to vitamin C, it contains vitamin E, hyaluronic and ferulic acid, organic rosehip and argan oil, sea buckthorn oil, carrot seed oil and pomegranate extract.Jade RollerUsing gentle pressure, roll the jade roller in upward & outward motions all over your face. Why a jade roller? Jade rollers help improve circulation, reduce wrinkles, replenish your facial muscles & revitalize the elasticity of skin. Jade has been used for thousands of years to maintain body fluid.Clarisonic Smart Profile UpliftMassage this over entire face, neck, and décolleté area.If you’re ready to really step up your skin care game, grab the Clarisonic Smart Profile Uplift. It’s like a regular Clarisonic on crack. It drains your eyes & is great for your neck. This tool provides an anti-aging facial massage that is proven to reduce 15 signs of aging over the course of 12 weeks. This is like a vibrator for your face. In fact, it sounds like a vibrator, kind of looks like one, maybe you could even…oh, we’re getting off track here. But it’s very efficient.To go further here, the device is described as: “a micro-firming massage device that smooths the look of fine lines and wrinkles, boosts the absorption of your daily skin care products, and with 27,000 micro-firming massages per use, delivers a pleasurable ‘spa-like experience.” I highly recommend this.

Get a facial

Head to your favorite spa for a professional lymphatic drainage facial. Ask for one next time you get off a flight and you just won’t believe the results. They’re so fabulous. Have the facialist go down your neck too. Full transparency: Sometimes this requires a little explanation. You need to tell them you want a lymphatic drainage facial that helps fight bloat because you’ve been traveling.

Also let them know you’re dehydrated because after a lot of travel you most likely are dried out. And lastly, tell them you’d love it if they also focused on your neck/chest. If you can’t tell, I never neglect my neck, chest, and hands. Paying attention to the face is great, but aging happens everywhere so prevention is key.

And that my friends is why I like facial massage. PREVENTATIVE MEASURES. BE PROACTIVE. You just don’t want to wait until you’re 50—prevent the wrinkles from happening. My skin is a priority. I take care of it every single day, a few times a day. It’s sort of like fitness but for skin. Wash your makeup off, wear SPF everywhere, do your facial massage, invest in a brightening serum and use your oils. In the morning I’ll use jojoba and at night rosehip.

You can even use olive oil…Yes like for your salad. It’s also perfect for removing your makeup. I’m telling you! But that’s for another post!